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Dark Shadows
Allegiances HiddenClan Cats outside the Clans Flora- speckled brown she-cat with amber eyes Cedar- light brown tabby tom Miracle- ginger and white kittypet with bright blue eyes (nursing one kit- Sage) Bane- large black tom with dark amber eyes Prologue A light gray she-cat with black paws and ears prowled quietly in the forest, her pelt sticking to her body from the rain. Scenting the air for any kind of trouble, Selma stiffened as the pungent odor of HiddenClan entered her nose. Halting abruptly, the she-cat turned her head from side to side, trying to discern any would-be attackers in the brush. For now though, no one was about. However, her fur did not stop from fluffing up, and her hackles were still raised as she continued her journey. Her paws bled from the roughness of the ground, and she swayed from the weight of the dead kitten she was carrying, one of two that had died. Grief gripped her heart, and she struggled to keep herself together as she continued onto the river. '' ''The sound of waves alerted the she-cat and she soon stopped, seeing the rushing river for the second time that night. Not even a fish jumped out of the water, and her belly grumbled. So far, it had been a rough new leaf, and when she had given birth to her kits just a quarter moon before, Selma had been left incredibly weakened by the experience. Narrowing her eyes in determination, she dropped the small, white kitten and started to dig in the loose, muddy soil. Pawfuls of mud were scraped back, and she turned back to the soaked body of her youngest kit, Cloud. Picking him up carefully by the scruff, she deposited him into the soil, and reburied him so that predators would not dig the kitten up. Rain poured down her face, and she sat there, tail curling around her paws. The burial was done, all she needed to do now was sit vigil in the dismal weather. '' ''For how many heartbeats she sat there, she did not know, consumed by her grief as she was. When a twig snapped, Selma growled and lifted her bowed head, scanning the forest for any signs of intruders. The only warning she got was the sound of rustling branches and snapping twigs. Someone..or at least a group, was on the prowl. Neck fur bristling, she got to her paws reluctantly, eyes still clouded over in grief, and ears flat against her head. It did not take long before the intruders were revealed- a party of three full-grown HiddenClan warriors, their powerful muscles rippling underneath their pelts as they moved towards her. Fear spiked through the loner, and she crouched down, unsheathing her claws. '' ''"What is a loner doing on HiddenClan territory?" the first hissed, his green eyes flashing in the dark night sky. '' ''The other two remained silence, their identical blue-gray pelts and amber eyes boring holes into the she-cat. Deciding not to answer, Selma eyed the first warily as he stalked towards her, his spiky ginger fur darkened by the rain. '' ''"Answer me," he demanded, tail lashing in impatience. Still Selma did not answer, wary of what the tom would do. She got her answer when in apparent frustration at her refusal to cooperate, he raised his paw as if to strike her. Heart racing, Selma decided not to tempt fate even further than she already had. Starting to back away, her body shivered from the cold of the rain and the frostiness of the tom's green stare. '' ''"I-I w-was j-j-just leaving," she replied, keeping a steady retreat up as the tom continued to advance on her with the other two following quietly. '' ''"That's enough, Heavyfoot," another voice growled from behind the three warriors. '' ''The cat named Heavyfoot turned to see the long furred, cream colored pelt of his leader, Featherstar, standing in front of them, his huge, orange eyes flickering over to the loner. Letting out a sigh of relief, Selma felt soothed by the newcomer's warm gaze, his expression otherwise unreadable. However, she still maintained her guard, unsure of whether or not this was a trick. '' ''"Featherstar-," Heavyfoot started to protest, but the tom waved his tail for silence. '' ''The cream colored pelt of Featherstar blew chaotically in the turbulent winds as he made his way over towards the trembling loner. Craning her head up to look into Featherstar's eyes, Selma felt trapped, wanting to retreat, but not sure where to go. The other three now watched in apprehension as their leader continued to scrutinize the skinny intruder for several moments more. '' ''"Who are you?" the HiddenClan leader asked, his voice smooth. "Selma," she replied, almost compelled to answer. '' ''"Our clan needs more Warriors," the tom meowed after a moment, his gaze sweeping towards the other three cats. At that moment, one of the two blue-gray cats stepped forward, his amber eyes zeroing in on Selma with obvious suspicion. His gaze then turned towards Featherstar, and the leader backed away from the loner in order to discuss something with the tom. It was several moments before the leader turned back, his eyes more solemn than before. '' ''"Normally, I would not ask an outsider to come into the Clan, but...we need more cats. Selma, I am not going to give you this option. You are coming with us," the HiddenClan leader growled, allowing for a brief silence in order for his words to sink in. '' ''Without options, Selma nodded, albeit reluctantly, and came out of her crouch, but kept her claws still unsheathed. Falling behind the other four, she left the riverbank, and headed further into what was to become her new home. Inside, she felt hollowed out, empty of all feeling as the rain continued to pour, not bothering to let up on its onslaught. '' Chapter One ''Ten moons later..... Silence reigned in the HiddenClan camp as Crookedwing came out of the Warriors' Den, her fur still attatched to debris from the nest. Shaking it off, she let her pale blue eyes sweep the camp, nodding to the Clan deputy, Icewhisker, as he came back in from an evidently not very successful hunt. He barely acknowledged the new addtion to the clan, who even after ten months, still felt like an outsider. Featherstar had tried to alleviate the feeling of being out-of-place by tasking her with training Fernpaw while the young apprentice's mentor was in the nursery expecting kits. Shaking her head, the light gray she-cat with dark paws headed towards the entrance of the camp, feeling the hostile glares of Heavyfoot and Littlestream as she padded into the forest. Snow covered the ground, the trees, blanketing the entire landscape. The sunlight that dappled through the trees was not enough to overcome the chills that shivered down Crookedwing's body as she sniffed the cold, crisp air of leaf-bare. Lifting her head up, she scented the air for any signs of prey or danger, and frowned when she caught the smell of another cat. Who could this stranger be? Crookedwing thought as she started to pick up her pace, following the trail. Fur was caught on branches, and pawsteps could be seen in the freshly fallen snow. The scent was vaguely familiar, even though Crookedwing could not thing of who its owner could be. Happening upon the river where she had first encountered the HiddenClan cats ten moons earlier, Crookedwing froze when she saw a large, black tom sitting at the water's edge, his paw raised to strike. His movements were well practiced, and she watched as he struck out suddenly, catching a fish and killing it swiftly. Growing angry, the she-cat broke cover from the underbrush. Leaf bare was hard enough without someone stealing what precious prey was readily available for her clanmates, especially for the kits and elders who would slowly starve if they did not get something to eat soon. "What are you doing here?" Crookedwing demanded as she